


Beyond The Sea

by RheaLorde



Category: Lost
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Legends, Multi, Myth Arc, Persephone Cycle, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7254637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RheaLorde/pseuds/RheaLorde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Once upon a time, there was a magical island. This island held the untold secrets of good and evil, time and space, life and death... But the island began to fall apart. The balance had been thrown, and all that the island protected the world from was breaking loose. All hope seemed to be lost. Until came the woman."</p><p>An alternate ending for Lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crystalkei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkei/gifts).



> The early season’s touched on Kate’s duality, how she was an incredibly good person, but with a strong dark side. She killed her father because she couldn’t reconcile those two things. She couldn’t live knowing his darkness was a part of her. In this alternate ending, pretend that continued to be addressed in later seasons. 
> 
> Events begin at the episode, "The End."

_Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere, waiting for me:_  
_My lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships that go sailing._  
_Somewhere beyond the sea, he's there watching for me._  
_It's far beyond the stars, it's near beyond the moon,_  
_I know beyond a doubt, my heart will lead me there soon._

_\- La Mer (The Fish Song)_

__

Voices carried through the trees. They spoke of splitting up to find Locke and Desmond. 

Jack heard them but didn’t pay attention. He was standing in the river, contemplating what he had just done. Jacob was gone, and here he was, the new protector of the island. The water lapped around his feet, as he bent over and splashed his face. He slowly stood back up, staring out over the trees. His trees?

Kate came up behind quietly, watching him but didn’t say anything. This was so like Jack. It hadn’t surprised her one bit when he told Jacob he would take his place. She stared out at him, and felt so very tired. Tired of chasing shadows, tired of fighting for their lives. But mostly, she was tired of being apart from him. 

“Jack,” she called out. 

He turned around to look at her. 

“Time to go.”

\---

Desmond sat there, breathing in and out, trying not to look too in pain as Rose and Bernard brought him some food. 

“Thank you,” he said, smiling up at Rose as she brought him a bowl of fruit. 

“Now Honey, you look tired.” She put a hand on his. “Why don’t you tell us what’s wrong?”

“I thought you didn’t want to get involved?”

“Now, just because we don’t want to be involved doesn’t mean that we can’t be a listening ear.” She smiled. It was warm and comforting.

“Everyone needs a shoulder, Desmond.” Bernard was a kind as his wife. Part of Desmond didn’t want to burden these people with what he’d seen, but he decided to anyways. 

“Do you remember back when I first started living on your camp on the beach? How I would get these strange flashes of what was going to happen?” he began.

“Yes, I remember something about that. You saved Claire a few times because of it,” offered Rose, as if to say it wasn’t a bad thing. 

“Yeah… well it’s happening again. It’s not clear, but there’s a light, and Jack keep screaming ‘No,’ over and over. Hurley; he’s holding him back.”

“Sound’s like I’m going to win.” 

Desmond whipped around. There stood Locke, with that unsettling grin. Ben strode behind him, quiet, like a sentinel. 

“You’re coming with me” he said.

“Like hell I’m going anywhere with you.” Desmond stood up and stepped back.

“If you want them to live, then you’re coming.”

Locke gestured to Ben who cocked his gun at Rose and Bernard. They stepped back, Rose grasping for her husband's arm. 

“So,” Locke asked, “what’ll it be?”

Desmond didn't move. 

“I don't have all day,” he sighed. “I've already been held up enough from our run in with Mr. Ford. So I'm going to count to 5, and then I'm going to have Ben here shoot one of them.”

Willingly going with Locke felt wrong, but he knew he was cornered. There was no escaping this. 

“No, you don't need to do that. I'll come,” he said. His shoulders were hunched as he marched over and away from Rose and Bernard's camp. 

“No! Desmond, you can stay!” called Rose. 

He gave her a half smile, and shook his head. 

“I'll be fine.”

\---

"Why did you do it, Jack," Kate asked. "Why did you take the job?"

They were walking through the bushes. Sawyer had left a while ago to go find Desmond, and they had gone to find Locke with Hurley. 

"Someone had to," he laughed halfheartedly. 

"Jack..."

"I have to fix it. To keep the island fixed. I've ruined everything else in my life, so maybe I can fix the island this because I wasn't the one that broke it." He plowed on ahead, not looking at her. 

"You haven't ruined everything. Jack! Stop!" Kate grabbed his arm. "You haven't ruined us."

His eyebrow raised. "Yes. Yes, I did Kate. And I can't fix it."

"Jack, you are always trying to fix everything and everyone but did it ever occur to you is that all I needed, all we needed, was for you to fix yourself?"

Kate reached up and touched his face. 

"I'm still here. Nothing is irreversible."

"This would be so sweet if we weren't about to die." Hurley snarked as he walked past them. 

Jack looked at her, and for a second, he dared to consider a truth that he hadn't believed could be possible. That after everything, all he had put her through, she still loved him. That she never stopped loving him. 

But they had to keep moving. They didn't have time to talk about this, so they both broke the gaze, and followed Hurley. 

Suddenly there was a crack of a branch behind them, and they all whipped around. 

Standing there, with that insufferable smile, stood Locke and Ben, complete with Desmond in tow. 

"Looking for something?" he grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I ruin your plan?"

"What are you doing with him?" demanded Jack. 

"Taking him to the heart of the island so I can destroy it. So I can be free. Why? What were you going to do?"

Jack shifted where he stood but kept his gaze. "I'm going to kill you."

"I see." Locke seemed unperturbed by this declaration. "Was there a plan that went with that, or just a general idea?"

Jack glared him down, not saying anything. It was true; their plan was less of a plan and more of a hope that when they found Desmond they would know what to do. 

"That's what I thought." He laughed, as he turned to grab Desmond. 

"We're not letting you take him!" yelled Kate. 

"Then feel free to come along, my dear," Locke called over his shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to miss my great escape."

The three of them stared at Locke, Ben, and Desmond disappearing into the woods, and then looked at each other. 

"Come on," Hurley said. "We'll make up a plan as we go."

\---

As Sawyer trekked back to try and find the rest of his party, he saw two men down by the docks. Running closer, he realized it was Miles and Richard. 

"Hey!" he shouted, trying to get there as fast as he can. "What are you doing?"

Miles and Richard looked up, surprised to see him. 

"James! I thought you would be with Jack and the rest of them," said Richard. 

"I went to go find Desmond. But instead I got a meet and greet with Bug Eyes and Locke 2.0. I was on my way back."

"Well, we're getting to the plane. We're going to try and get it off the ground." Miles was hurriedly untying the boat. 

"You better go fast. Locke is about to blow this whole place to kingdom come."

"Come with us," said Richard, climbing in behind Miles. 

"I can't. Not until I get everyone else."

"Here," Miles said, tossing him a walkie-talkie. "If you find everyone soon, meet us at the plane. We've got to go get Frank, so you still have some time."

Sawyer nodded, and then went back towards the heart of the island. 

\---

"Ok Hurley, what's the plan?" whispered Jack. 

"I don't know! I was just saying we would think of something, not that I had an actual idea in mind."

"Well we have to th..." Jack's voice drifted off in Kate's ears. She could still see his mouth moving, but loud whispers began filling her head. It grew so loud she stopped in her tracks, looking around for its source. It felt like it was drawing closer, and the words began to be clear. 

"Kate...Kate...Kate..."

"KATE!"

The last one was not a whisper, but rather a shout from Jack. 

She snapped her head back to him. They were nearly 50 paces ahead of her, looking confused as to why she had suddenly seemed to stop. "Sorry, I just thought I heard something."

Jack and Hurley looked at each other, both knowing that she was probably not imagining whatever just happened, but also knowing they didn't have time to stop. 

\---

"Frank! FRANK!" Richard was yelling. "Miles, there he is! He's floating on that part of the sub."

They paddled over to him as quickly as possible. Reaching in while trying to maintain their balance, they started hauling him out of the water. Frank flailed and grasped at the boat, coughing up water. 

“What are you two doing out here?” he wheezed between desperate gasps. 

"Frank, we have to get the plane working."

“WHAT,” he exclaimed. "Isn't that how that Locke guy plans on escaping?" 

"Who cares! He's destroying the island, so we've got to leave somehow!" yelled Miles. "We just won't let him on the plane."

"Can we do that?" asked Frank. 

"I guess we'll find out. Let's go."

\---

Locke, Jack, and the rest of the others came upon a cave, with light pouring out of it. 

"The heart of the island," smiled Locke. He then turned to Desmond. "You're up."

"What? You want me to go in there? I don't think so." He looked at Jack hoping he had a plan. 

"It's ok. Do what he says."

"Wait!” Hurley yelled. “That's the plan? Do what the bad guy wants?! Nu-uh. Not happening. Kate! Back me up here!"

But Kate was looking at the light, and then to Locke. She hadn't heard a word anyone said. Staring at these two things, so opposite in nature, it was as if there was something, some greater truth that the island was trying to tell her.

"Fine! Let Desmond go down the cave tunnel thing! See if I care!"

Jack was already tying a rope around Desmond's waist. 

"And what exactly am I supposed to do down there?" asked Desmond.

"Do whatever Locke tells you to do," said Jack. 

"Well he told me to destroy the heart of the island, so I think that's a bad plan, brotha."

"Look, Jacob brought you here, not him. So,” Jack explained as his hand’s worked, securing the rope’s knot, “I'm guessing that he doesn't know what he's doing. Whatever he wants is probably actually what Jacob wanted."

"Well that's a pretty big gamble."

Jack laughed. "Yeah, it's quite the leap of faith." He looked him straight in the eye. "Good luck. I'll come with you as far as I can."

Ducking, Desmond and Jack began to climb through the space in the rock. 

"I'll be coming too, if you don't mind." Locke grinned. "I heard all that. I know you think I'll fail, and I'd like to see the look on your face when you realize how misguided Jacob made you."

Jack put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Lead the way."

The three men disappeared into the cave. 

They eventually came to a long drop that curved at the bottom, so none of them could see what was held below. 

"Time for the rope," Locke said. 

"When I get down there," asked Desmond, "how will I exactly know what the heart of the island is? And how to destroy it?"

Locke shrugged. "I'm sure it will become obvious." 

"What?!"

"I've only been down there once and I wasn't exactly at full capacity, so I don’t really know what you'll find. But I know enough. Now go."

Desmond looked to Jack, who nodded. 

\---

The radio in Mile's hand crackled. 

"How's the plane coming?" It was Sawyer. 

"We just got to the beach. We're heading there right-"

BANG

Miles turned to see a very angry Claire with a rifle headed toward them. 

"What are you doing here!" she screamed at them. 

"Miles! What's going on?!" Sawyer’s panicked voice came through the radio. 

"Did he send you to kill me?!" Claire demanded. 

"No! We're not with Locke!" yelled Richard. 

Her hair was wild and her eyes mad. She was completely covered in dirt and advancing quickly, shooting again. 

"Why should I believe you?!?"

"Because we are leaving, really leaving, and you can come with us!" Miles screamed in a desperate voice. 

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Sawyer yelled into the walkie-talkie. 

"It's Claire. It's fine. We've got it covered. Just get to the others and get back here as fast as you can." Miles said. He stuck the radio in his pocket, and walked over to Claire with his hands up. 

"Come on. Don't you want to go home? See your son?" He stepped cautiously forward. "Just give me the gun, and you can come with us."

Claire stopped at the mention of her son. She shook where she stood, tears streaming down her face. She didn't shoot. She gripped her gun so tight her knuckles were white, but she didn't shoot. 

"It's ok," Miles said, placing his hands on hers. "You can let go." 

"I can't," she whimpered. "I can't go back."

"Yes you can. I know what you’re afraid of, but I promise you,” Miles lowered his voice so only she could hear, “every single child would rather have their parent back. They would want to know what happened." 

Her hands loosened. Miles smiled. 

"You. Can. Let. Go."

She finally nodded, and pressed the gun into his arms. 

Richard walked over and put his arms over her, pulling her to the plane. 

\---

Desmond looked around at the glowing room. 

The curve had revealed to be an entrance to a cavern. The whole place danced with light so bright he had to squint to see around him. After a moment of his eyes adjusting, he saw it. At the edge of the room, there was sort of a pool. The water seemed to be the source of the light. At the center there was a pillar, keeping the water from flowing into the hole it rested in. Atop the pillar was a massive set of scales, with a stone on either side, perfectly balanced. One stone was white, the other black. 

Desmond assumed this was what he was looking for, and he waded in. As soon at his feet touched the water however, he began having flashes again, but this was like never before. This was insanity. It was thousands all at once. He couldn't tell them apart, and it felt like his whole body was on fire. Flames licked up his legs, moving into his torso, and spread to his arms. His mind overflowed with information, and he thought he would collapse from the weight of it all. 

But he moved forward. He dragged his body to the center of the pool, and with every ounce of strength he had, he pushed over the pillar. 

The water stopped flowing and all began draining down the center. As the water disappeared, the flashes began to subside. He breathed as he could start to process what he was seeing. Some of the flashes were things he'd already known. Some were things he couldn't recognize, and some were part of a future he hadn't experienced. 

The water was gone and the island began to shake. Now it was just one vision left. And for once he knew exactly what to do with the unsolicited knowledge. 

He ran back to the rope. 

\---

Up at the top, as soon as Jack and Locke had felt the ground shake and he island start to crumble, Locke said, "Well it looks like you were wrong." 

He stood up and began walking out of the cave. "Goodbye, Jack."

Rage bubbled up inside of him. How could he have been wrong? Really though, how could he have been right? What was he thinking? He didn't even know Jacob; why did he put his faith in him?

But there was one thing that wasn't a question. It was perfectly clear. He had to stop Locke from getting to that plane. 

Jack jumped up, and tackled Locke to the ground. He began punching him in the face over and over, but Locke threw him off. 

"You think you can stop me?!" he shouted, no smile across his face now. "I am thousands of years old. I am unending! I AM INEVITABLE!"

There was a yell from below, but both men ignored it. 

He punched Jack square in the face. Then again. And again.Then in the stomach, but as he went in for another hit, Jack suddenly, somehow, began to laugh. 

"What?" Locke snarled at him. 

"If you're so unstoppable," Jack gasped, blood dripping down his face, "then how can I make you bleed?"

Locke dropped Jack, and reached up to his lip. He touched it, and realized it had split when Jack had hit him. 

He yelled, going to inflict another blow. In his fury, he hadn’t noticed Jack’s hand slip to his belt, and steal the knife that hung there. As his fist made contact with Jack’s jaw, he felt something sharp go into his gut.

“Ahh!” He looked down, and saw a glint of silver and a lot of red as Jack pulled the knife from him. 

“Sorry,” he wheezed. “Did I ruin your plan?” A devious smile flashed across Jack’s face, right as Locke dealt one final blow, knocking him out. 

\---

Emerging from the cave, Locke gripped his stomach. 

“Jack?!” Kate rushed forward as soon as she saw motion in the cave. “Oh… what happened?” She was clearly not overly concerned about the bleeding man in front of her. 

“Get out of my way” he snarled, shoving her to one side. 

“Uh, should we go after him?” asked Hurley.

Kate felt a strange pull toward him, and heard the whispers calling her name again. But she shook it off. 

“You can, but I need to go find Jack.” Kate turned, rushing into the cave. 

Hurley followed, and then, to his surprise, Ben started after him.

“Woah, dude, you’re coming with us? You’re with Locke, go after him.”

“You mean the guy with blood pouring out of his stomach?” Ben glared at Hurley. “No, thanks.”

“But you’re like, on his side!”

Kate sighed. “Look at this point no one knows whose side Ben is on! And honestly I couldn’t care less, so let’s move!”

\---

“Jack!” Desmond was still calling from the bottom of the rope. “Jack, can you hear me! I have to tell you something! You need to know this!”

“Desmond?” A head poked over the ledge. “Dude, what’s happening? Jack is up here out cold, and Locke just ran out of here looking like he lost his stomach!” 

“What?! NO!” Desmon yelled. “No! He can’t be hurt. Not yet.”

“I know! It’s a surprise to me too dude.” Hurley shook his head. “Grab the rope I’ll pull you up.”

“But-” Desmond sighed and grabbed the rope. “That’s not what I mean! I don’t mean it’s impossible, I meant that he can’t die yet!”

“Dude, what?” 

“JUST PULL ME UP NOW!”

“Ok, ok! You’re coming up now.” Hurley began pulling the rope as quickly as he could, and in a few moments Desmond was back at the ledge. He clambered over, to see Jack lying on the ground, Kate franticly hovering near his face, yelling at him to wake up. 

“I saw something down there,” Desmond explained.

“Yeah. The heart of the island,” nodded Hurley. 

“No, er, I mean, yes, but I saw something, like the way I saw Charlie die,” he breathed heavily, in and out. “I saw something in the past, sort of.”

Hurley was holding on to every word and Ben’s eye’s were wider than they had ever been. Kate was however only half listening, still focused on reviving Jack.

“The light, the dark, they existed before Jacob and the monster. This island, Richard said it was like a cork over hell? Well for the cork to stay put, for the light of the island to not go out, the island has to stay balanced. There were these scales down there, with a stone on each. I knocked over the pillar they were on, but someone can put it back to stop the island from being destroyed. But it won't matter if those scales aren’t balanced. It won’t go back unless both are there.”

“What does this have to do with Locke dying?”

“There are two sides, one light, one dark,” Desmond hurried. He pointed at Jack. “He is the light. Jacob was before, now he is. Locke, he is the dark. We have to stop him, maybe even kill him now that he’s mortal, but he has to have a replacement, or the dark stone will disintegrate.”

“Can’t we just get another rock?” asked Hurley.

“No. It has to be these. They are each others perfect balance, in more than just weight. The island must have light, and it must have dark.”

Kate had stopped yelling when Desmond had begun explaining the scales. She had listened intently, and somehow, in her heart she knew, that Desmond spoke the truth, and what she had to do.

“I’ll do it,” she said still bent over Jack. 

“What?!” they all yelled in disbelief, turning to her. 

“Kate, that’s a fate worse than death. You’ll become that thing,” Desmond said. “You won’t be human. You won’t have a body. I was thinking we find someone else…”

“Who are we going to find!?” she screamed. “No one! If we don’t keep the island here, and whole, who knows what kind of terror will happen to the rest of the world.”

“We’ll find someone else!” cried Hurley. “Hell, I’ll do it!”

She just shook her head and looked back at Jack. “It has to be me.” Her fingers touched his face, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead, as tears began to fall. She stood up, and ran out of the cave. 

\---

Sawyer was walking toward the cave when he saw Hurley, Ben, and Desmond emerge, carrying a limp Jack.

“What happened?!” Sawyer yelled as he began sprinting toward them.

“Uh, basically we turned off the heart of the island, which made Locke mortal, which is good cause we need to stop him, but also bad because it needs to stay on or else the island is destroyed and all hell might literally break loose.” Hurley said in a matter of fact voice. 

This sounded absolutely ridiculous to Sawyer, but then again so did everything else on this damn island. Hell, he ended up in the hippie commune in the 70’s after doing a round of time travel speed dating, so why not? “Ok, well let’s go kill him and turn it back on!”

“Why didn’t we think of that!” shouted Ben. “We can’t if Locke is dead. Turns out that there has to be a monster to the Jacob. A dark to the light. Otherwise the light can’t go back on. Someone has to take his place the way Jack took Jacob’s.”

“Fine! I’ll do it! Now let's go before we have to find out what’s worse than this damn island.” 

“Someone already beat you to it,” said Ben.

“Where’s Kate?” mumbled Jack. He was coming around. 

“Jack! Are you ok?” cried Hurley.

“Yeah,” he winced, sitting up. “But I heard part of what you were saying. Please tell me Kate didn’t run off to take Locke’s place.”

Desmond, Hurley, and Ben all exchanged looks. 

“Shit!” yelled Sawyer. 

“What are you waiting for?” Jack yelled. “Go after her!”

Sawyer sprinted off through the trees.

“Ok, I know none of us want this, but Jack…” Hurley made his voice as soft as possible, “someone has to do it.”

“I DON’T CARE. NOT KATE.” He was irate. “Come on! Help me up. We’re going after her.”

\---

Kate burst through the tree line onto the cliffs. There stood Locke, hobbling toward the ladder to reach the sea. 

“Hey!” She called after him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m getting on that plane,” he hissed. “I’m leaving.” 

But at that he curled over, and fell to his knees. He was losing a lot of blood. He wasn’t going anywhere. 

The salty breeze hit her senses, and she wondered if it would be the last thing she would feel. Did smoke feel? She wasn’t sure. To be honest, grey cliffs and a grey sky, pelting her with fine sharp mist wouldn’t have been her first choice when it came to places to die, or at least, stop being alive. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was becoming, but regardless, if this was her last moment of humanity, she wanted to feel every second. 

“Kate! Stop!” A voice came calling over the ridge and she saw Sawyer emerge. 

She sighed and shook her head. “I have to do this,” she called back. 

“No you don’t! I’ll do it! Someone else will!” he yelled as he ran toward her. He stopped in front of her and gripped her shoulders. “You’ll die.”

“Not really…” she said sheepishly.

“Yes really! And you know it! Kate Austen will die. She will stop existing. Just because you technically are some evil smoke don’t make you alive!” His fingers gripped her so tight, and she didn’t try and force it off. She felt the pain of the pressure. 

“I have to do this.”

“Why?! Why you?!” His face was desperately searching hers, trying to understand.

“James, you once made me promise to take care of your daughter,” she started, tears rolling down her face.

“Don’t. Don’t. You’re going to get back. You and Claire are going to raise that kid.”

“Stop! Listen! I need you to promise me you’ll watch out for him! I need you to be there. He doesn’t have a dad, and Claire need’s a friend, she needs support. Promise me you will take care of Aaron!”

Sawyer’s face was bunched in pain, but he realized there was no talking her out of this. “I promise. I’ll be there. Every birthday and football game and boy scout meeting.”

She nodded. “Thank you, James.”

He released her, and blood flowed back into her arms. But, just as she was about to turn back to Locke, she saw him.

Jack came running, or at least some sort of injured speed walking, on to the cliffs with Hurley and Desmond. 

“DON’T YOU DARE, KATE. DON’T YOU DARE DO IT.” 

Her heart broke. She didn’t want him here. It would be so much worse. She was barely mustering up the will to do it now, but with him here, it was almost too much.

“Jack, don’t…”

But he was there right in front of her now. Sawyer had stepped back to stand with Hurley and Desmond, while Jack had now placed himself between her and Locke. 

“It has to be done,” she said quietly. She was breathing him in, memorizing every inch of his face. 

“Yes, but why you, Kate?” He was hoarse, but finally quieter. His voice cracked when he said her name. 

“It’s time I stop running from myself,” she sighed, trying to think of a way to explain. “Jack, I have darkness in me.”

“We all do! We are all broken.” He stepped closer, taking her hand.

“I killed my father! It takes a lot to be able to commit murder, but killing your own father?” She shook her head. 

“Kate, “ his eyes pleaded with her to listen, “you are a good person. There are few people who are as good of a person as you are. You take care of everyone, you defend everyone. You love Aaron so much. And you came back here to find Claire-”

“I know! I know. I’m not saying I’m bad. I’m saying I’m both.” She reached up and touched his face. “More so than most, I am both.”

“Why,” he shook his head. He couldn’t process what she was saying. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because, I love you,” she said with a sad smile.

That stopped him in his tracks. 

“Jack, if it was anyone else, one day, maybe years and years from now, but one day they would want to break free. They would want to escape. It happened before, and it will keep happening. But if I do it, I can control it. And I won’t want to leave,” her voice was shaking as she tried to get out the last part, “because you will be here.” 

Her moment of honest vulnerability was terrifying but reinforcing. A few tears began to fall, but her voice became even. 

“I can do this. I can fix it. But I have to stop running. And you have to let go.”

In that moment, Jack knew she was right. Kate would be more than just enough to technically balance the scale. She could create real peace. She could could equal him in a way no one else ever could. He knew it, and he had to let her do it. He looked up, blinking back tears.

“Tell me I’m going to see you again,” he begged. 

Kate said nothing, knowing full well that that was not a promise she could keep. Not in the way he wanted. 

He understood, and nodded slightly.

She reached around and grabbed his neck, pulling him into her. She kissed him, long, slow, and deep. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he held her as tight as he could. After a few seconds, seconds where each had tried to comprehend that this was their last goodbye, they broke apart.

She walked away, hand still in his, holding on until they were too far apart for their fingers to touch. She kneeled by Locke’s side, who had now passed out from blood loss. She pulled a small cup from her back pocket that she had grabbed from a backpack before she had ran off to chase him. Placing the cup in his hand, she dipped it in water that had begun to pool in a nearby crevice of the rocks. She did it exactly as Jacob had done to Jack. Then, taking the cup, she drank the water. 

When Jack had become the new protector of the island, it was a remarkably dull process. In fact, there was not distinguishable difference between him before or after, nor was there any indicator that he had done anything other than drink some water. 

This was not the instance now. 

Black smoke began billowing out of Locke, while his body disappeared. It swirled around Kate making that awful creaking and clicking sound. It went faster and faster, until abruptly it expanded out.

For one second, she looked back at Jack, and he looked at her. Time slowed for the two of them as their eyes met, and then, suddenly, the smoke was attacking every inch of her. It was threading into her atoms, and she screamed out in pain. 

“No! No! NO!” Jack had started to run to her, but Hurley, suspecting this might happen, had moved behind him, and now was holding him back. Desmond looked at the scene unfolding in front of him, knowing this was what was supposed to happen. As painful as it was, this is exactly what he’d seen, and somehow, even though it was so wrong, it was in fact, as right as could be. 

The smoke completely enveloped Kate, until she couldn’t be seen. Her body was no more, and it was just the smoke that was left. It swirled and crackled, and then shot straight up into the sky and over to the other side of the island. 

Kate Austen was gone.

\---

Benjamin Linus sat in the cavern by the toppled scale. When the others had left, they realized someone had to stay, to go back down and restore the heart of the island. Desmond was about to, when Ben had volunteered. There were no arguments.

Every cruel thing, every terrible act he had done, he had thought was for the best of the island. But now he was no longer so sure. This however, was undeniably for the best. For once in his sad life, he wanted to do the right thing, even if it killed him, which, incidentally, it would. 

Ben grabbed the pillar and set it back in the center of the water. Desmond was right; this did nothing. So he replaced the giant scale to its spot on top. He placed the white stone back on its designated side, and went to grab the black one but it had broken into pieces, and was slowly disintegrating. He scooped it up and put it on the scale, but to no avail. It wouldn’t balance. 

“Come on,” he muttered. He knew unless Kate was successful, there was no way he could put that stone back together. 

“Come on… come on… COME ON!”

But nothing happened, the walls were caving in, and rocks were flying everywhere. Suddenly, a large slide of boulders came rolling toward Ben, crushing him underneath.

“No!” he cried. “I have to get it back together!” But he couldn’t break free. The rocks were crushing him. He couldn't breathe. As his vision began to go in and out of focus, he saw the black stone start to reform itself. The broken pieces he had placed on the scale pulled themselves together, forming a whole. With his last moment, Ben saw the scale tip. He saw it go back to being perfectly balanced and the water flowing and the light returning to the pool. He had made this one thing right, and with that knowledge, and a very small triumphant laugh, he passed on.

\---

Kate blinked her eyes. Then she blinked again. She grasped at her chest, arms, legs, feeling her whole body. It was there. But how was it there?

Looking around, she realized was in a room so starkly white, there was no way of telling how big it was. 

“Hello, Kate.” A soft voice rang out behind her, and Kate turned slowly to see who it was.

A tall woman with dark skin and blue eyes stood before her. She wore a long simple green dress and no shoes. 

“Who are you?” Kate asked quietly. “Where am I? What happened?”

“So many questions… well, let’s say I am the island, as it were. Where you are, well that does not matter, as you won’t be here long. And what happened,” the woman’s eyes gleamed as she stared at Kate, with something of awe, ‘was you sacrificed yourself for me. To protect me now, and protect me always. You have saved everyone.”

Kate smiled. “Really? I did it? It worked?”

The woman nodded. “It did. And I must say, for a woman realizing she will now be spending the rest of eternity as neither alive or dead, not human, and without form, you seem…” she smiled, “happy.”

“It was worth it. If it saves everyone, it was worth it.” She sighed, at peace but with still a touch of sadness in her eyes. 

“Come with me,” requested the woman, reaching down to offer Kate a hand. 

\---

“She’s gone,” whispered Hurley, Jack falling back into his arms, no longer struggling against him. 

He crumpled down to the rock, with his face in his hands. 

Sawyer blinked back tears of disbelief, while Desmond stood, not moving his eyes from the spot Kate had disappeared from.

They stood there like that for a while, perhaps a minute, maybe longer. But then the crackle of the radio in Sawyers pocket interrupted their mourning. 

“James! James! Come in!” It was Miles voice. “James! Answer me!”

Sawyer reached around and pulled it out. “Yeah?” he said, voice small.

“Its running! We’re ready to go and we’re going. GET HERE NOW!”

“On my way,” he said quietly. “Let’s go.”

Jack didn’t look up as he heard them all walk away, but he did feel Sawyer’s hand on his shoulder. He reached up and touched it, but said nothing. 

He didn’t look up until he heard the roar of the jet engines. 

“There they go,” said a voice next to him. He whipped his head to the left. 

“Hurley?! What are you doing here?” 

“Dude, you didn’t think I was going to leave you?” Hurley laughed. “No way, man. You’re stuck with me.”

Jack just smiled at him and let out a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Yeah, well you better figure out how to do that thing Jacob did to Richard, because honestly, I really think getting old sounds like a drag. Besides, if you don’t we only get to hang out for, like, fifty more years, which would just be a bummer.”

“Yes it would, Hurley. Yes, it would. 

\---

Kate stood and followed the woman to what seemed to be a bench of some sort. She waved her hand and in front of them appeared the island. 

“You will never be able to go beyond the water,” she said, pointing to the edges. 

Kate nodded. 

“You will never be able to fly higher than the birds.”

She nodded again. 

“You are not to try and escape. The only way to do that is to destroy me.”

She laughed. “I think we both know I won’t do that.”

“Yes, we do. We really do.” she stared at Kate for a moment. “Did you ever hear John Locke, the real John Locke, speak about how this is a place of miracles?”

“Yes,” Kate smiled at the memory of John. 

“He was right, I can give the occasional miracle, so…” she reached out, and took Kate’s face in her hand, “I wish to give one to you.”

“What would you give me?” Kate asked, confused at what she could ever need in her current state. 

“Being without body is a great pain. Your predecessor took to inhabiting the dead, which is an extremely unpleasant, and dehumanizing process, not to mention unstable. If I know anything about you, I know you would find it repugnant if you ever tried.”

“Ok…” She wasn’t quite sure where this was going. 

“I cannot change your fate. You have accepted the role that was in need of filling. But I can give you one thing,” she beamed at her. “One day, to be exact.”

Kate now had a slight inkling of what she was saying, but dared not get her hopes up too soon. 

“Every year, for one day, sunset to sunset, I can give you your form. Your human form. You will be able to walk, run, see, breathe, all as you did before. I can give no more and no less, but for one day a year, you can once again be Kate.”

Kate breathed in and out, nodding as she processed what this meant. And then she looked up, and grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 35 Years Later

Hurley was outside his house, looking up and smiling as the roar of the engines flew over head. It was new recruit day. 

He started walking down to the main complex, toward Building C. The New Dharma Initiative was much less poetic in its choice of names than the original. He threw open the doors to the main hall and breathed in the smell of cleaning products. (Everything was given a thorough wipe down the day before new recruits arrived.) He began setting up chairs. 

“Sir!” A worker in a blue jumpsuit came running toward him. “Mr. Reyes! You don’t need to do that! Staff will take care of it.”

“Dude,” Hurley laughed, “First of all, it’s Hurley, or Hugo. Never ‘Mr.’ anything.”

“Ok… Hugo…”

“Second,” he smiled, “I like helping out. I’m sure your staff is great at their jobs, but it’s new recruit day buddy, and I want to be here for every part of it.”

“Really? But you’ve been here forever,” the young man’s eyes widened and he looked at the floor, realizing that may have been rude. “ At least that’s what they say. Isn’t it boring?”

“Ok, it hasn’t been forever, but yeah, it’s been a while.” He smiled, thinking for a moment. Looking down at the worker’s suit, he saw the name Armond embroidered on the pocket. He put his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “And no. It isn’t boring. People are never boring, and every year I get to meet more, and I get to tell them about my island.”

Armond nodded, still a little nervous. 

“You know I’m not your boss, right?” Hugo offered in an attempt to level the field. “I don’t even work for the NDI. I just come and help you guys out when you need something.”

“Yeah, but... you talk to… him,” whispered Armond.

“Yes, I do.” There was a twinkle in his eyes when he said that. A soft smile stayed on his face as he looked off into space for a moment. Then, snapping back to reality, he said, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t set up some chairs!”

\---

Down at the airstrip, fifteen or so people were walking off a plane and getting on to a shuttle. All were in their 30’s or younger, with two exceptions: a woman in her 50’s and a man who looked like he was pushing 70. 

“Damn,” the man muttered, staring at the scenery. “It even still smells the same.” His voice was a raspy southern drawl. 

“I know, right?” said the woman. “I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting on a beach eating a mango.”

“Or being shot at,” grumbled the man. His voice sounded annoyed, but there was a slight upturn to the corners of his mouth. 

“Mom, Jim! Come on! The shuttle is ready to leave!” A blond man standing in the door of the bus called after the two of them.

“Coming, Aaron!” the woman called back. 

\---

The new recruits walked into the main hall, taking seats next to other people who were already there. There were lots of hand shaking and “Hello, I’m so and so. I run the whatever lab.” Eventually when everyone had taken their seat, a tall black man walked up to a podium at the head of the room. Behind him sat several people, including Hugo. 

“Welcome, everyone! For the new faces, I and everyone else here at the NDI hope you had a comfortable flight. And for our current residents, thank you for taking time away from your busy schedules to welcome our new friends.” The man was was commanding, but gentle. He wore horn rimmed glasses and a tie that was slightly askew. “My name is Walt Lloyd, one of the cofounders of the New Dharma Initiative. You should have met my partner, Mr. Hume back on the mainland.”

“Here, each of you will contribute to a team that is making great scientific progress. For the past twenty years, we have been making advances in energy, medicine…” Walt continued on with his introduction, explaining the different roles each person has, how the NDI was founded, where their funding came from, etc. 

“Who would have thought that the little snot nosed kid who was always losing his dog would grow up to be a certified genius,” James whispered to Claire. 

“He always had potential. I’m proud of him.” Claire beamed at the man who stood before her. She then looked to his left to try and make eye contact with Hurley, but he was paying too much attention to Walt. 

When Walt finished his introduction, he then turned to Hurley. “I will now introduce to you Mr. Hugo Reyes. He is the representative of the island’s caretaker. This is a remarkable, but also strange and sometimes dangerous place. It is of the utmost importance that you heed Mr. Rayes’s guidance, as he, and the caretaker have only your safety in mind. He will now speak to you about the island in general, and how to navigate it safely. 

Hurley walked up to the stand. “Thanks, Wlat! You know I’ve known this guy since he was a little kid. He’s just great. You’re all really lucky to be here with him.” There were a few confused glances from the new people within the crowd, since it appeared that Walt was significantly older than Hugo.

“So, like, I know you all are scientists, and there are some people who have been here for years who still don’t completely believe this, but this island is kinda magical. You’ll probably come up with some technical word for it, but I’ve been here a long time, and that’s what I call it. It has it’s secrets, which I would encourage you to all have an open mind about, if you want. The more you want to learn about it, the more you will, as you’re ready. In general, I am all about letting people figure out this place for themselves. Or at least figuring out the right questions to ask. But until then, I have some basic safety things you need to know about that you probably shouldn’t learn on your own.”

“This should be interesting,” mumbled Claire.

“Shhh!” said Aaron. “Be quiet, Mom!”

“One, the rip tide is really strong on the south side of the island. Don’t swim there without a buddy and a lot of equipment. Really, just stick to the beaches about a mile down the trail from here if you just want to go for a dip.”

“That’s not magical, that’s just common sense,” stated Claire.

“Two, there are places you may come across that will be glowing, for lack of a better word. Maybe it’s a hole in a wall in an abandoned old Dharma station. Maybe it’s a crack in a rock. Doesn’t matter. Leave it be.”

“Unless you want to accidently go on a trip to the 70’s,” laughed James. 

“Are you two going to talk the whole time?” Aaron glared over at them. 

“Sorry, man.”

“And the last thing to know, at least for today, if you see black smoke,” 

Claire and James tensed at this.

“It might look and sound scary, but sh- I mean, it doesn’t want to hurt you. Don’t go doing weird experiments or trying to get samples from it, cause it's really dangerous. Like I said, doesn't want to hurt you, but accidents happen, so just like the light, leave it be.”

Claire and James looked at each other, but said nothing. They looked back to the front. Right then Hurley noticed them.

“Um, so…” he stammered as he squinted at them in confusion for a second. “If you follow…” Claire smiled at him, and his face lit up with recognition. “...these rules you’ll be totally fine! Ok bye! Go have a nice first day!” His words came out in a rushed out jumble and he was already leaving the stage by the time he said the last few words. He ran to the back, pushing through the crowd that was now standing up and mulling about. 

“Excuse me! Excuse me! Coming through!”

Finally, he got to them. 

“Guys!” He yelled before either of them could say anything, and pulled them into a bone crushing hug. “You’re here! I thought I’d never see you again!”

“Hey, we write from time to time,” said Claire. 

“Your last letter was 10 years ago,” scoffed Hurley. 

“Yeah, well…” James looked at the floor.

“Dude, it’s fine. I get it.” He lightly smacked his arm with a smile. “But what are you doing here now?”

“Well, there's someone I want you to meet,” Claire reached over and grabbed Aaron.

“Hurley, this is Aaron.” Aaron was short, with messy blond hair and wore a Drive Shaft t-shirt. The wrinkles around his eyes somehow didn’t change his remarkably young appearance. He sheepishly stuck out his hand. 

“My mom said she had some old friends here.” He said. “Although when she said that, I thought that meant older than me.”

“Dude, I remember changing your diaper, so don’t even.”

“Wait, what?”

“So, Aaron here is a biochemist at the University of Michigan medical research lab!” James quickly interjected. “Well, was. Now Desmond's finally got him working here!”

“No, go back to that thing you said. You knew me as a baby?” pushed Aaron. 

“Aaron,” Claire sighed, “There’s a reason I came with you. There’s some things I need to tell you, and I wanted to do it here. Where I could show you.”

“Show me what?” he looked back at the three of them. 

“Where you were born.” She bit her lip, and then said, “Why don’t the three of us go for a walk.”

\---

“There's going to be a bonfire down at the beach tonight!” One of the NDI residents was walking around announcing this to passers by. “New recruits, feel free to come! It's a great way to get to know people.”

This announcement interrupted the conversation Aaron was having with his mother. 

“Ooohhh. That will be good.” Whispered someone standing by. “That meeting was weird. Maybe I can ask questions there.”

“It will probably just be old ghost stories like every year,” said the boy next to her. “Monsters in the trees. The mysterious man that runs the island, stuff like that.”

Aaron listened to them for a few more seconds. He noticed other groups starting to whisper about the strange island they were now on, and the secrets it held. 

“So that plane crash, this is where it was?” he asked, turning back to his mother. 

“Yes, it is,” answered Claire.

“This is where I was born?”

“I mean, technically you were born on a log about 2 miles that way,” James interjected.

“Nice,” laughed Hurley.

“And you were on that plane, too?” asked Aaron.

“Yeah, dude. Oceanic 815,” nodded Hurley.

“How old were you when it crashed?”

“About 31.”

“No way. That makes you as old as Jim!”

“I use a better moisturizer then he does.”

“What?!” Aaron looked confused.

“It’s a joke. I told you, this island is strange.”

“Clearly.” Aaron breathed in for a second. “What was all that back there you were going on about.”

“The rip tides are gnarly, dude. The buddy sys-”

“I meant the lights and smoke.”

“Right… well…”

“Don’t worry about the light. There’s controlled areas there you can study it. You’ll figure that out on your own. Use it for research,” said Claire. 

Hurley looked confused. “How do you know so much about NDI research?”

“Desmond has been offering a spot for Aaron for a few years now,” informed James. “Though it would do the man some good. But, Claire she-”

“I just needed some more time.”

Aaron still looked confused, but he had a feeling that they would all insist that the answers to his questions would best be found on his own. So he only asked one more.

“Why did you come, mom? And why did you bring Uncle Jim?”

“I have another old friend I need to see. That you need to see. And I’m going to stay here until I do.” Her hands shook, but she kept eye contact with Aaron.

“Don’t you know?” Hurley asked, smiling. 

“Know what?” responded Claire. 

“It’s today.” His smile widened. “It’s at sundown today.”

“What is?” asked Aaron. 

“You’ll see,” sighed Claire. “You’ll see.”

“Mom?” he said, reaching out for her hand. 

“Tell him the story,” said James. “Tell him the whole thing now.”

\---

Jack walked out of his small cabin near the cliffs. He looked across the ocean at the sun that was getting lower on the horizon. The light bathed over him as he closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the salt air. It was nearly time. He grabbed his backpack, to head out toward the field with the guava tree in the middle. 

Before he could leave, he heard a noise through the trees. He ignored it, assuming it would be NDI people who probably couldn't see him anyways. He would just go. But then he heard a voice calling his name. 

“Jack!” Hurley cried. “Jack! I’m coming and I have people! People, people!”

Jack laughed. “What exactly are people, people Hur-”

He stopped as soon as he saw who was coming through the trees. 

“Claire? Sawyer?” His eyes grew wide but then he smiled, and briskly walked walked toward them. 

“Well damn, doc. This job suits you well! Haven’t aged a day,” said James.

“Yes, well that is the point,” he laughed, clasping his hand. 

“Oh, it’s good to see you, Jack,” said Claire, pulling him into a hug. 

“You, too” he sighed. “You, too.” Jack looked over her shoulder. “And who’s this?” He didn't look surprised at Aaron standing there. 

“This is Aaron, one of the new NDI people Desmond just recruited.” Hurley explained. “Also he's Claire's kid.”

“Hello, Aaron,” he reached out and shook his hand, unable to contain a knowing smile. 

“My mother told me about you after we landed. It's ok. She told me you know who I am, so you can drop the, ‘who's this.’”

Jack laughed and nodded his acceptance. 

When the three of them had told Aaron the whole story back at the NDI buildings, he had thought it sounded too fantastic to be real, but then a distant memory had crept to the surface. A man sitting at his bed, reading as he fell asleep. A woman, with long hair and sad eyes not answering when his tiny voice asked where Jack had gone.

“Do you know who I am?” asked Jack. 

“They told me some stuff…”

“No, I mean, do you know who I am?”

“You're Jack. You used to read to me, and you knew my mother,” he glanced at Claire. “Not her, another woman. I can't remember…”

“It's ok,” said Jack putting a hand on his shoulder. “It was a long time ago.”

“They're here to see her?” Jack asked Hurley

He nodded. “Claire says she needs to.”

Jack smiled and nodded. “She’ll like that.” He looked over at James. “She’ll be happy to see you, too.”

“It's…it's time,” Claire stammered, fist clenched. 

“Hey,” he smiled gently at her, “It will be ok. It will be good.”

Jack picked up his backpack, and then nodded into the trees. 

“Let's go.”

They began following a narrow path that looked like it had been walked many times. 

“So, Aaron,” Jack started, moving to his side while they walked, “I hear you're a biochemist!”

“Yeah. I'm studying the effects on plant cells of prolonged exposure to different types of UV light. You can put shifts in the light’s color to change the properties of the wavelength. I haven't found a practical application for it but-”

“Sometimes it's good to learn for the sake of learning. I'm sure Desmond believes in you. After all, he brought you here.” Jack placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“The NDI doesn't really worry about judging someone's process, so you'll have all the time you need to discover whatever you're looking for.” Jack’s tone made Aaron wonder if he was talking about more than the research that was being conducted on the island. 

“So, they keep calling you the caretaker. I even heard whispers from other people down at the main compound while we were walking around. It made it sound like you were some mystical legend, but you just look like a guy with a backpack to me.”

Jack grinned. “Yeah well, I think you have a much clearer picture of what I am than most of the people here.”

“Why don't you just go down and live with them, like Hurley?” he asked. 

“Well, I'm not completely normal. Used to be, but not any more. Some people, let's just say they have a hard time seeing me.” 

Before Aaron could ask about this, the wind suddenly picked up, whipping around them in a frenzy. 

“Come on!” Jack called pointing to the break in the trees. 

The five of them pushed ahead, and out of the jungle to a large field. 

"Wait here," said Jack. 

Claire, James, Aaron, and Hurley stood at the edge of the field, and watched as Jack wadded into the tall grass. 

It had been a strange day for Aaron. He thought he was just starting a new job today, but no, instead he was discovering things he didn't even know his mother was keeping secret. Stranger still though, he was relatively calm. Not overwhelmed the slightest. He knew that he should be, yet a peace had settled upon him as soon as he arrived on the island. 

The wind continued and then came a unnerving noise. It was a crackling, clicking sound, the kind of sound one only heard in nightmares. Up and out of the trees came a thick, black, smoke. The terrifying noise seem to emanate from inside of it, and it was so monstrously large, one could feel that it could swallow them whole, and disappear and forever. 

The smoke covered the entire field, blackening the sky, completely hiding them from sunlight. It began to fall lower and lower, getting smaller and smaller. Then, abruptly there was a giant flash of light, so bright that nothing else with visible. 

When it faded, the smoke had gone, and Aaron and the others could see Jack walking again, but this time he seemed to be heading toward something on the ground. 

\---

Kate lay on the grass. Her eyes were shut, but she didn't open them right away. She wiggled her fingers, feeling the cool blades beneath her. She smelled the air, a mix of tropical flowers and ocean breeze. She heard the chirp of birds and crickets.

Then a different sound reached her ears. 

Footsteps. 

“Hi,” said a soft voice. 

She turned her head, finally opening her eyes. There bending over her, was Jack. His face was serene, and the setting sun splashed across him, making it look as if he glowed. 

“Hi,” she whispered back. 

He reached a hand down and touched her face. 

“I missed you so much,” he said. 

She turned her head to kiss his hand, nodding as if to say, “Me, too.”

Jack stood up, and reached down, offering her his arm. She took it, pulling herself up, and intertwining her fingers into his.

“There are some people here to see you.” he said, gently leading her toward the edge of the field. 

She looked over, and immediately recognized Hurley, who was waving unabashedly. She chuckled as she squinted to make out the other two, walking closer to try and see. 

And then she recognized them. A huge smile burst across her face, and she started walking faster, pulling Jack along. She was still staring at the last person though when she stopped dead in her tracks. 

No. 

It couldn't be. 

It was. 

“Aaron!?” her voice cried across the field. Her hand fell out of Jack’s as she began sprinting towards her son. 

Aaron eyed the woman coming toward him, but as she got closer, he could see her hair, her smile, her eyes. It was the woman he could barely remember. But for some reason, one word escaped his lips. 

“Mom?”

And then he was running just as fast as she was. They collided, Kate instantly wrapping him into an embrace, with her sobs of joy echoing around them. 

“You're here,” she wept. “You're here!”

“Yeah,” he smiled into her. It was unexplainable. She was a stranger, but her arms felt like home. “I'm here.”

\---

“Well I hear, if you look him in the eye, you’ll die!”

People were sitting around the fire, indeed exchanging ghost stories. 

“Naw man, it's not the caretaker you have to be afraid of, it's that smoke. Forget what Hurley says. If you touch it, it turns you into stone!”

The new people looked around at each other, clearly afraid of what they seemed to have gotten themselves into. 

“Ignore them,” said a girl, coming closer to the fire. “They're just yanking your chain.”

“Aww, come on Anne. Don't spoil the fun.” 

“Wait, so there isn't an old man that runs the island?” asked one of the new people. 

“Well, there sort of is. He’s just a guy that has been here forever, like Hurley. He knows things, like, everything about the island.”

“Have you seen him?”

“No one sees him!” cackled one of the guys from before. “He's… Invisible.”

“What?!”

Anne rolled her eyes. “Ok, maybe some people have a hard time seeing him. But it's like, when you're ready, you can. I have. So have some of the other older people.”

“What's he like?” someone asked. 

“Hmmm… smart, kind, easy to talk to. I didn't know my dad,” Anne stared into the fire, as she offered up this admittance, “but I imagine he would have felt something like him.”

“Well if you're going to come here and ruin our fun, at least tell us the story.”

“What story?”

“Anne knows the legend of the smoke.”

“Did he tell you?”

“No,” she laughed. “No, he didn't. It was just told to me by people who had it told to them. That's how legends work.”

“Yeah, but no one tells it like Anne,” The man kicked back on his log where he was sitting. “Go on, then.”

Anne sighed, but then began. _“Once upon a time, there was a magical island. This island held the untold secrets of good and evil, time and space, life and death.”_

Kate walked over and hugged Claire and Sawyer, beaming at both of them, and thanking them for coming. She turned to Hurley, who lifted her up into a bone crushing hug. They all stood there talking and smiling as if no time had passed. 

_The island, while a secret, kept an order to the world. It served and protected everyone, though most would never know that it existed._

The six of them sat around the dinner table in Jack’s cabin. Aaron explained more about his research, Claire told them about how her mother was doing, and Sawyer, much to the delight and surprise of Jack, Kate, and Hurley, passed around a picture of his grandchildren. 

_On this island were two beings, one light, the other dark. They had always existed, keeping the island in balance. It could not exist without both of them._

Jack reached under the table and grasped Kate's hand. She moved it slightly, weaving her fingers between his. 

_The dark and the light changed over the years, with different people coming to take their place, but one thing never changed. The dark hated the light. It wanted free of the island, but the light, the island's caretaker, always kept it there. No matter if they had once been friends, or even brothers, eventually the dark would seek to destroy the light._

_One day, after many years of trying, the dark figured out a way to kill the light. But the light knew what his counterpart was planning, so he found some weary travelers, and brought them to the island to test them. To see which of them could take his place in case he was destroyed by the darkness._

Kate and Aaron walked along the beach, with the rest of them about a hundred yards behind. Aaron told her about how his years at Harvard, and how he had thought to become a lawyer, but one day a scholarship opened up in the biochem department that he thought he would try for. He explained that one thing has started him on a path to work for some of the most prestigious medical research companies in the world. She beamed at him with pride. 

_While the travelers were being tested by the light, the dark sought to use them. After quite some time, he even convinced one of them to kill the light, finally believing he had succeeded, and could be free._

_The light began to fade._

_Eventually, one of them, after much time with the island, came to the light in its last hours and said, “Take me. I will protect this place.” The light thanked him, changing him into the caretaker who still inhabits the island to this day._

Hurley and Sawyer were standing by the water, arguing over the proper way to catch a fish. Kate had wandered out waist deep into the ocean, and was just standing there, feeling the waves and staring at the moon. 

Jack sat next to Claire and Aaron. Claire had just told him that Jack should help him with his research. 

“He's very smart,” she reassured. 

“I'm not a biologist. I'm a doctor that hasn't practiced medicine in years.” He shook his head. 

“What kind of Doctor were you?” asked Aaron. 

“Spinal surgeon.”

“Well, maybe one day if I'm ever studying different types of nervous systems, you can lend a hand.”

Jack smiled. “Sounds good. Until then you can just come and tell me what you're doing and I'll nod and pretend like I understand.”

_But the light did not warn him that there must be his opposite on the island. The new light sought to destroy the dark, knowing it was about to escape, wreaking havoc in its wake. In his ignorance he killed the darkness._

_The island began to fall apart. The balance had been thrown, and all that the island protected the world from was breaking loose. All hope seemed to be lost._

_Until came the woman._

Standing on what was once used for a golf course, the rising sun illuminated the six that had been awake all night. Sawyer was waving his hands in the air, telling them all stories, each of them bent over laughing. 

“And then, I kid you not, that damn boar, which regardless of what any of you say, HAD IT IN FOR ME, comes running up behind me, WITH MY TARP, just to add insult to injury, and plows me straight over! And what does Little Miss Sunshine here do?” he exclaims, pointing at Kate. 

“ME? I didn't do anything!” Kate laughed. 

“Exactly! She just stood there and LAUGHED AT ME!” Sawyer feigned insult. 

_She was kind, wise, but with a terrifying dark streak. She had been one of the travelers brought to the island to be tested. While here, she had fallen in love with the man who would become the new caretaker, the light. And he had loved her back._

Jack looked at Kate as the breeze ruffled through her hair. He watched the way her mouth moved, the way her eyelashes fluttered over her green eyes. She felt him looking and turned to smile at him. 

_Seeing that the island needed to return to its balance, she offered herself. “I will become the dark, if that will save us all.” The light begged her not to, for it would destroy her, turning her into a terrifying monster._

_“But it must be me, my love,” she said, “for I will never leave you. Together we will keep the island safe.”_

_And thus, she died, becoming the darkness, and leaving the man she loved._

The six of them stood by the edge of the NDI outpost. It was past midday now, and Claire and Kate were hugging goodbye, while Jack and Sawyer clasped hands. Hurley was unsuccessfully fighting back tears as the two of them got ready to board the plane back to the mainland. They reassured him that now Aaron was working for the NDI that it wouldn't be another ten years before a letter came. 

“You could stay!” he frowned. Sawyer and Claire exchanged a glance. 

“Oh, Hurley,” sighed Claire, “we can't. Even if we could, I think I've had enough of the island to fill several lifetimes.”

Hurley nodded. They all exchanged their last goodbyes, and then watched James and Claire walk away toward the air strip. Hurley huffed, and put his arm around Aaron, telling him that he'd show him around the NDI buildings and take him to where he'd be working. 

Aaron turned back to Kate. She smiled softly, and kissed him on the forehead. 

“I'm always here,” she whispered to him. “Even when I'm not, I'm always with you.”

He nodded, and walked off with Hurley. Kate reached for Jack's hand as they stood there, watching them disappear. 

_The island saw this, and was moved by her sacrifice to protect her. Never before had anyone chosen to be the darkness for purposes of good. So she granted the woman a gift of one day. For one day every year, she could be human again, and be with the one she loved._

“Thank you,” Kate said quietly, still staring at the spot where Aaron had vanished. 

“For what?” asked Jack. 

“You brought him here.” She turned her head slowly to look at him. 

“I don't know what you’re talking about,” he said looking her dead in the eye, while the corners of his mouth twitched up. “Desmond recruits people he thinks would be good additions to the team. I have nothing to do with it.”

“Mhmm.” Her eyebrows raised, as she stepped into his arms. “Of course.” 

She reached up to his face, running her fingers through his hair. After staring at him for a few seconds, she kissed him. It was soft at first, but then her hands moved to his hips and pulled him into her. He kissed her back, his hands on either side of her face. 

_It is said that to this day, if you look toward the horizon, to the fields in the west, once a year you can see a bright light burst into the sky as the sun sets. There the light meets the dark, and she becomes human again._

Intertwined in each other, they sat looking out over the ocean, silent and at peace. They stared up at the sky, which was starting to turn orange. 

_Because of their love, we can stay here. Because of their sacrifice, the rest of the world is safe._

The wind began whipping around them, and they turned to look at each other. 

“I always love you,” Jack said, touching his forehead to hers. 

“I love you, always.” Kate whispered, kissing him ever so softly.

He closed his eyes. The flash of light burst out around them. 

_So when you see the burst in the sky..._

Jack blinked as the light faded. Kate was gone. He looked back out over the island. He could hear happy voices coming from down on the beach. The trees swayed peacefully in the breeze, and the ocean was calm. 

Jack Shepherd laid down and closed his eyes. 

_...know that all is well, for never again will the dark try to destroy the light._


End file.
